Voice Types and Vocal Ranges in the YRCC

We sing a lot of SAB, and a fair bit of SATB music in the York Region Community Choir.

Our singers are divided into Sopranos, Altos, Tenors, and Basses. Sometimes we have to divide the Sopranos into first and second Sopranos, so they sit separately, and occasionally we also have to divide Altos into first and second Altos.

In our choir, Sopranos sing the top part of all the music, the top line of the treble clef, the highest notes. But, that doesn't mean they all can sing the highest notes. The soprano part always has the most melody, so the reason for being in that section might be to be able to sing melody. Another thing that makes it attractive is that the top notes are easiest to find and follow. We divide into first and second sopranos for some pieces. The first sopranos are on top, and it's usually the melody, but sometimes it's a descant part. Even though the first sopranos should be able to sing the highest, that's not always the case in our choir, but don't worry. There are enough first sopranos who can sing very high that the team always sounds good.

Our Alto section has some of our best musicians, and they often can sing higher than many of the Sopranos. Their part is more difficult to read and more difficult to sing, but in a more comfortable range for most women. It's the second line of the treble clef.

Our Sopranos and Altos are all women, but our Tenors and Basses are not all men. Tenors sing the top line and Basses sing the bottom line of the bass clef. We have some women in the Tenor section. And, our music doesn't always have Tenor and Bass, but only Baritone. Like all community choirs, and church choirs that I know, we don't have enough men. But, the ones we have are wonderful. And, the addition of the women in the section means we have more power in the section than you can see. The effect is very good. Also, women are more likely to speak up if there's a question or a problem (Like most men, male choristers don't usually ask for directions.). It works out really well.

So, the ranges in our choir are varied and not quite what you'll see defined elsewhere. It works for us.

Here's what Wikipedia says are the ranges:

• Soprano: C4(middle C) – C6
• Mezzo-soprano: A3 – A5
• Contralto: F3 – F5
• Tenor: C3 – C5
• Baritone: F2 – F4
• Bass: E2 – E4

I also found this YouTube video of the ranges. Cool, because it plays the notes for you so you can sing along.

In our choir, you sit where you think you feel comfortable. And, you'll get a good feel for it soon. If you'd like to try another part, then you move. It's that easy. There are some choristers who sing different parts in small groups because they can. So, we'll have an alto singing tenor or soprano, and a soprano singing alto for  fun. There's more about how our choir works in this blog post.